16/02/2008 Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah warned Israel that if it wanted an open war with Hezbollah outside Lebanon, "then let it be war."
Sayyed Nasrallah was speaking at the funeral of Islamic Resistance commander martyr Imad Moghniyeh in Beirut's southern suburb.
 
"Of the believers are men who are true to the covenant which they made with Allah: so of them is he who accomplished his vow, and of them is he who yet waits, and they have not changed in the least, Almighty Allah has spoken the truth. Hajj Radwan was true to the covenant and died a martyr," Sayyed Nasrallah said.
 
The Hezbollah chief stressed a few points regarding Hajj Imad Moghniyeh's martyrdom.
"They (Israel) see in his martyrdom a great accomplishment and we see in it a good sign for the coming victory. This was the case with the martyrdom of our leaders Sheikh Ragheb Harb and Sayyed Abbas Moussawi."  
 
Sayyed Nasrallah added that when Sheikh Harb was martyred the resistance got stronger and forced Israeli occupation forces into the security zone.
 
"When Sayyed Moussawi was martyred the resistance grew stronger and a few years later the Israelis withdrew from most of Lebanon, humiliated and broken. Today they killed Hajj Imad and they think that killing him would cause the resistance to crash down in the course of the July 2006 war that is not over yet on the political, media and material levels and still backed by the same people. But they are mistaken. With the blood of martyr Imad we must begin to write the history of the downfall of Israel in the very near future. The blood of martyrs Harb and Moussawi drove them out of Lebanon and the blood of martyr Imad Moghniyeh will drive them out of existence," his eminence stressed.
 
Sayyed Nasrallah explained that his speech was not based on emotions but on what the founder of the Jewish state, Ben Gorion, said. "You all know that the founder of Israel, Ben Gorion, who knows better than any other Israeli the strength and weakness of this entity, said that the Israel will fall down after the first defeat. Israel fought its war in July 2006 and was defeated as acknowledged by the Winograd commission. Israel lost its first war, why? Simply because its army faced a sincere and brave resistance for 33 days…Because Imad Moghniyeh, his brothers and his pupils were fighting them. Israel lost its first war and will fall down soon." the Hezbollah chief said.
 
Sayyed Nasrallah warned Israel that it committed an extremely "foolish" move by killing Moghniyeh. "I tell the Israelis, and the body of martyr Imad is still lying before us, Hezbollah is not weak. The martyr's brothers will take over his Jihad. The blood of martyr Imad only makes us stronger and gives us additional motive to continue the road with a wider perspective. What I promised you in the past was fulfilled at the hands of martyr Imad and his brothers.
Today the resistance is fully prepared to confront any possible Israeli war. Yesterday I was speaking about rockets but today I will speak about fighters. Winograd said that a few thousand fighters confronted the strongest Israeli army in the region for several weeks. After Hajj Imad's martyrdom, what will be waiting for you in any coming war will be a stronger Hezbollah. Hajj Imad has left you tens of thousands of very well trained fighters who are more than ready for martyrdom," his eminence warned Israel.
 
The Hezbollah leader also warned Israel of the repercussions of assassinating martyr Imad Moghniyeh outside "the natural battlefield."
"You have killed Hajj Imad outside the natural battlefield. You used to fight us here on our land. Today you went outside the border. I will quote something from the July 2006 war when I addressed you saying that If you wanted it to be an open war then let it be an open war, and I had promised victory to the believers. Today I tell you that with this murder, the timing, method and location, if you want this kind of open war, then let it be an open war of this kind," Sayyed Nasrallah stressed.
 
His eminence also remembered the February 14 commemoration of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination.
"On the 14th of February, the commemoration of martyr Hariri, we were hoping that this occasion would join the Lebanese, however some wanted this turn this occasion into a party of curses. In such event, I will not respond, I only underline that the Lebanon that we gave our dear leaders will never be Israeli and will never be divided. He (MP Walid Jumblatt) who wants divorce (between the loyalty and the opposition) can go to his masters in Washington and Tel Aviv. Lebanon will remain united and in spite of some dwarfs, Lebanon will continue to be a country for resistance. In spite of those who call on armies to fight their war against the resistance, Lebanon will continue to be a country for unity, honor and sovereignty. This is why this country deserves martyrs like Shiekh Harb, Sayyed Abbas and Hajj Imad," Sayyed Nasrallah said.   
 
Addressing the family of martyr "Radwan", his eminence said:
"I want to bless you and to console you and to tell you – Allah blessed you and your family. If only the whole world knew that this jihadist house sacrificed its sons – three martyrs. Everything you have Abu Imad (Mugniyah's father) – your three sons, you sacrificed to martyrdom. One after the other. This family was extraordinary in jihad and martyrdom. To his wife I say, and to his comrades-in-arms, all of his relatives and fans in Lebanon, Palestine and any other place: I want to console you on this loss of a cherished commander."